New Seller Questions

Hi!

I'm new here. I haven't set up shop yet but will soon. My Dad agreed to sell off his old stamp collection and I'm going to be taking care of that for him.

What are the best online resources for researching stamps?
How does selling on HipStamp compare to selling in other places?

Thanks!

Comments

  • 16 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • First- what type of stamp collection? world, region? Varieties of stamps, covers, etc? Second , brace yourself, it may not be as valuable as you think these days. You may want to look on you tube at the "thinking of selling your collection" clips.
  • Thanks Rene - its a world collection and I was already doubtful it would be worth much. We're not that lucky. Will check out the videos.

    Any other advice?
  • The Scott catalogs are the gold standard, but are pricey for a World set. If you find treasures in the collection, you might find these useful in sorting arcane details (and value) in older stamps. There are digital editions.

    HipStamp is a good place to start. The search feature, and the Catalog (on menu at bottom) can give you some context and market values.

    www.stampworld.com and www.stamp-collecting-world.com have huge listings and have good search tools. The latter has good descriptions of US stamps.

    Big dealer sites, like Mystic and Kenmore, have good educational resources and thick, free catalogs they'd love to send you.

    Did the original collector share any goals or other tidbits?

    (Amateur comments worth the price you paid for them. Your mileage may vary.)
  • You know , my experience is that long time collectors are usually good natured folk . If there is a stamp club close to you , you may want to place a call . Professional dealers are looking for “big game” and in a FaceTime visit may tell you in a minute if the collection is worth the effort to sell . Those collectors with substantial holdings usually leave good instructions for survivors . Good luck truly .
  • Hi, I'm back. I've listed only 4 items so far using the online resources from Troy.

    I couldnt find any recent information on a club near me unfortunately.

    Do you find that reasearching individual stamps takes a long time and is there a way to quickly identify items?
  • There really are not shortcuts to stamp identification using a Scotts Catalogue, but the more experience you get, the more efficient you become. Exact identification is the only ethical way to sell, because the buyer relies on your knowledge of the item to make the sale. Identification get easier as you familiarize yourself. It's really not a chore, it's the "hobby" part of the hobby.
  • another thought...what is your store named?, post a link here. I'm a busy physician, but maybe one of the real astute and respected pros here would be willing to give you tips on countries to focus on? If you have a bulk of common stamps, low value, it may be very fruitless to invest a lot of time, especially if your are not a hobbyist.
  • edited April 2021 1 LikesVote Down
    Rene,

    Here's his link. Also from what I am getting in orders there is not really any specific country or topic that is out selling any others.

    https://www.hipstamp.com/store/sixth-and-durian

    Sixth,

    Just a couple of tips on your listing titles to help with the search

    First the country name is actually Kenya Uganda Tanganyika. Even on the US it's better if you list the country name at the beginning of the tile, then cat number, then any other info you wish to add to the title. (That's the best way they will come up in some searches.) Adding MNH, Unused, Used MOG Unused Hinged etc should also be in the title, those are descriptors that will help the buyers locate your items better. Covers should also have cover added to the title.

    Those are some of the simple things you can do to make your listings a bit better.

    Just another suggestion before going wild with your listings you may want to check out a number of the more successful sellers to see how they are doing things and then take those things would work for you and apply it to your store.
  • edited April 2021 2 LikesVote Down
    Sixth,

    On your KUT stamp it is a good idea to include in the description WHY this stamp is 74d. Is it a perf 14? Also, you're making a lot of work for yourself with that description. Appears unhinged?? - wouldn't use that term for a used stamp - perhaps it was soaked.
  • Sixth,

    You may also want to reconsider your shipping charges because there are 2 potential problems. The first is your shipping at this time is only figured for zones 1 and 2, it you get a number of orders from any other zones your going to have to eat the extra postage charge. Packages to zone 5 (For me that the largest group where their sent and that's at $4.25 per package, if you ship to zones 8 and 9 it's $4.45 per package.)

    Second if you are selling mostly lower value stamps most buyers will not buy from you, they will see the charge as being excessive for the value of the items being sent. And should they complete a purchase and don't catch the charge before they pay, they are not going happy about it. You will be better off building in a little bit elsewhere to cover the minimal amount of lost shipments. (The amount of lost shipments I have had is way less than 1 % and that is figuring about 300 or so shipments per month. And I can go months without a single shipment lost.)
  • Also, check out the International shipping fees on USPS and check out the help page on Hip regarding this issue. No longer legal to send merchandise - yes, even 1 stamp - as a First Class Letter. There have also been many discussions on the Forum regarding this.

  • Here is the link to the international shipping.

    https://help.hipecommerce.com/support/solutions/articles/14000112965-international-shipping-costs-from-the-us

    It's really should be under both selling and buying, but at this time it's only under buying. So unless you know that it may be a bit tougher to find.
  • Another suggestion. Get yourself some hagner pages to use for scanning. People will be able to see the perfs better and it seems to show the stamps off better with a bit of a black background border as opposed to using a white border.
  • After looking at your store, may I make a few suggestions. Take your oldest philatelic items ( before 1930) and start with listing them first. That may be the more valuable portion. Identify what catalogue you are using ( e.g. Scotts 123). Agree wholeheartedly with previous comments all. I'd post envelopes (covers) last, especially the most common ones. A stamp on an envelope should carry a description of WHY you consider it unique or collectible.
  • Hi. I'm a buyer, not a seller. I like that you show scans of the back of stamps, but don't go overboard. Your time is valuable. Use it to put more listings up rather than taking the time to post 4 scans of a 20 cent item. The more inventory you have listed, the more will sell. Buyers who find 1 of your stamps that they like, will look at your store for more, so you need inventory. Especially when you're selling low priced items, buyers want value for their shipping costs, and the easiest way to get that is to combine purchases of multiple items into a single shipping charge. Paying a dollar to ship a 20 cent item, no thanks. But, paying a dollar to ship a dozen 20 cent stamps, that's a bargain. So if you don't have inventory in volume, you won't make many sales (if any). Good luck and listen to Rene, he's "wicked smart" as we say in Boston.
  • Thank you all! These are very good tips for starting out and I definitely appreciate all of it ;-)
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